CPAR
PERFORMING ARTS (Theater)
THEATER
● It is the ultimate art since it is a collaborative art
form that combines various disciplines of art
such as visual and performing arts.
ELEMENTS OF DANCE
1. Performers - These are the persons who are
onstage and portray their characters in a
convincing way for the audience.
2. Audience - The performers have to present in
front of an audience and connect with them.
They tend to respond to the energy the audience
shows while watching the play.
3. Director - The director serves as an overseer to
the entire production. He/she ensures that the
performers are doing their job well, including
understanding and delivering the text. The
director also ensures that the production design
works well.
4. Performance Space - This element may refer to
the space in which the actors can perform. It
may also refer to the space for the audience to
sit or stand.
5. Design - The design is essential in placing the
overall feel of the production. There are two
aspects of design. Visual aspects include
lighting, set, and costumes, while nonvisual
aspects primarily include sound.
6. Text - This refers to the script. This must be
present in a particular play or production.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF THEATER IN THE
PHILIPPINES
1. ABSURD – Modern play that exaggerates
events and situations to emphasize a point. The
characters are often made stereotypes. It was
first performed in the Philippines by the students
of Ateneo de Manila in 1967 with the play “Ang
Paghihintay kay Godot” that was translated by
Jonnel Inojosa in tagalog from its original
absurd play “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel
Beckett.
2. STAGE SHOW - It is also called bodabil which
is at theatrical presentation of various acts and
performances. These performances may be a
production of the following: comedy skits,
circus acts, musical and dance numbers,
acrobatics, and magic shows. Contemporary
forms of the stage show can be seen during
fiestas and in variety shows.
3. BRECHTIAN THEATER - It is an example of
a modern theatrical show. It is also referred to as
epic theater. According to Brecht, Epic theatre is
a type of political theatre that addresses
contemporary issues. Also Brecht believed that
the audience should not emotionally identify
with the characters or action on stage, but,
instead, stimulates self-reflection and the critical
analysis of the events unfolding in the play.
Example of Brechtian-inspired play in the
Philippines includes Ronaldo Tinio’s “May
Katwiran ang Katwiran”.
4. CHILDREN’S THEATER - Children’s theater
are plays that are either performed by children
or adults for children. This type of theater
production is intended to educate, inspire, and
encourage creativity and value formation. Some
theater companies specialize in theater
productions geared for children such PETA’s
longest running play, “Mga Kuwento ni Lola
Basyang”.
5. MELODRAMA - It is a non-musical play that
is intended to elicit tears and emotional
attachment to the characters. The main character
of these melodramas are often victims of
tragedies and suffer cruelty from the people
around them but in the end will rise
triumphantly. These methods are regularly seen
on television.
6. DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE - It is a type of
play wherein an individual actor speaks and acts
out the character’s thoughts and emotions. This
one-person performance is often used for the
audience to better understand a main character.
7. TULA-DULA - Also known as play poem. It
was developed by the University of the
Philippines in the 1970s. It is minimalist in
attack wherein a poem is dramatized by a
narrator who recites the piece and two or more
actors provide the movement and the sound
effects. Example: Ibong Adarna
8. POLITICAL THEATER - It is a form of
theater whose intention is to transform or
improve the current system of the government.
Some political dramas are direct to the point,
while others use symbolisms and allegory to air
their political views.
9. MUSICAL THEATER - It is a form of
theatrical performance that combines songs,
spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story
and emotional content of a musical – humor,
sadness, love, anger – are communicated
through words, music, movement and technical
aspects of the entertainment as an integrated
whole. Example: “Laman ng Isip Ko”
10. REALISM - It is a type of drama that provides
an accurate depiction of real-life situations . This
is achieved through well-developed and
